Kaitlyn Sandvik
Arts, Entertainment, Technology Editor
@ksandvikcourant
An unorthodox medium of art emerged during the early 1970s to counter cultural norms, this movement was pioneered by Marina Abramovic and has gradually entered the realm of mainstream visual art. The notion of performance art has been controversial as it often approaches human limits and displays aspects of the human condition which most do not want to recognize by confronting porous boundaries and our contradictions as human beings enchanting passion intrigues the spirit and is the catalyst for a range of response from an existential crisis to enlightened thought on the art of life and life as the purest form of art.
The basis of performance art derives from the concept that exploration of interactions between audience and performer offers another element to expression pieces. Andy Warhol offered his guidance to iconic rock band, The Velvet Underground and during the mid 60s he entered the realm of creating staged events and performances such as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. This blurs the line between performance art for the sake of itself and performance incorporated into mediums such as music where a vital component to the success of an artist is often their stage presence. The “Shock Art” reputation and stigma dramatic art carries has burdened the emergence of performance art. The issue is the subjectivity of art as an entity and the inevitable question of, “What qualifies as art?” which has loomed over this medium for some time and is a decision I believe is made at the personal level.
The myriad of performance centered art that began to be produced by artists like Yoko Ono and Carolee Schneemann, who is known as one of the first generation feminists, offered a new medium for creatives to experiment with. Carolee aided the rising of female artists during the time in what she viewed it as a heavily misogynistic community. However, the true formation of modern performance art as we know it was fostered by Marina Abramovic, the grandmother of performance art.
Marina embraced the form of realist art, bringing herself forward as the human body in a raw and mostly nude condition. Her pieces often explore the relations between the genders and conflicts or harsher dichotomies within those interactions. Her profound work with fellow artist and her ex-partner, Ulay, the pseudonym for Frank Uwe Laysiepen, which demonstrated the interconnectedness and passion within their romance and the divide, created between the binary that appeared to be unavoidable at the time. Together they created around 90 pieces in their joint ventures over the course of about 12 years. Their final piece in 1988 involved trekking from opposite sides of the Great Wall of China towards each other, Marina began the spiritual journey from the Yellow Sea and Ulay from the Gobi Desert. They said their goodbyes both as partners in art and life and did not see each other until The Artist is Present exhibition.
Some of their more prominent works include AAA AAA, Imponderabilia, and Relation in Time. For some audience members the nature of their work is a trigger for discomfort which others might argue is just a facet of their overall purpose. Fanatics tend to firmly believe that performance art and its essence are best left seen in their original form as that is the only means by which the interaction and energy exchange between the artist and audience can be tangible.
Marina strips away the barriers that so often distract from our monotonous rituals with her pieces that have elements including a simple trifecta: raw emotion, presence, and challenges to popular belief. In her groundbreaking exhibition at the MOMA entitled, The Artist is Present, Marina showed some of her more prominent pieces from her past including her Rhythm
series, by projecting them and having young rising performance artists recreate them. She recruited these artists and had an intense week of fasting, meditating, and bonding with them prior to the show, an experience some of the artists spoke about in The Artist is Present documentary.
The premiere of the exhibition took place on the sixth floor and engaged audience members in a simple manner which despite its lack of physical motion was incredibly demanding for all parties involved. Marina sat in a long monotone dress each day for more than two months before audience members one on one for as long as they wanted. Many of those partaking and volunteering themselves to be part of the collective piece displayed profound responses which ranged from tears and overwhelmed sighs to full-faced toothy grins. Tackling the minimalist piece was a challenge for Marina as it forced her to revisit her roots and leave behind the theatrical essence that she had been incorporating into other works.
While the show is no longer active, her work has made an indisputable impact on the entire visual art society. Marina ushered in the movement of performance art and continues to be unabashedly tackling conflicts that are central to the human condition. While one of her more recent works, Generator focuses more on the audience itself. This piece allows the audience to be completely deprived of activated senses while they enter the barren gallery space while yet again Marina achieves transcending boundaries and triggering introspection by those partaking.
Marina is truly a genius in her field and masterfully develops an alternate plane of existence and consciousness for those who decide to enter into her realm, her artistic universe which provides a haven for reflective thought and exploration of one’s very being. Her work does not need translations, nor can it be captured in words-my attempt to depict the passion and utter brilliance of her work I believe cannot provide an entire understanding of her collective efforts and I encourage anyone reading to open their minds and allow themselves to feel alongside Marina.
